If you own a restaurant, you can't afford a rodent problem. One rodent on the property can spell disaster for your restaurant, especially if customers or the health department is aware of the problem. Here are four steps you need to take to prevent a full-blown rodent infestation in your restaurant.
Start With a Good Pest Control Company
If you want to make sure you keep rodents out of your restaurant, you need to start with a good pest control company. You can't afford to cut corners when it comes to keeping rodents out of your restaurant. You also can't afford to attempt do-it-yourself pest control treatments. When you own a restaurant, you need a professional pest control company to help you implement a successful rodent control plan.
Maintain a Clean Restaurant
Once you've established a treatment plan with your pest control company, there are still some things that you'll need to do to keep the rodents away. The first thing you need to do is ensure that you and your staff maintain a clean restaurant – including the kitchen and dining areas. Trash should be carefully discarded each day. Be sure to keep the dumpster area clean to keep rodents out of the trash. It's also important that you wash all dishes throughout the day and sweep the floors at the close of business. Taking the steps described above will help eliminate the problem areas in your restaurant.
Keep All Food Products in Sealed Containers
When it comes to keeping rodents out of your restaurant, you need to pay close attention to the food. Rodents may be attracted to trash, but they're also attracted to the fresh food that you have in your storage room and food prep areas. All food should be kept in sealed containers. Once original containers are opened, the contents should be placed in a secondary container with an airtight seal. This will serve a couple important purposes. First, this practice will ensure that your food stays fresh. Second, the sealed containers will keep rodents out of your food.
Conduct Weekly Inspections
It doesn't take long for rodents to take over an area. In fact, as quickly as rodents reproduce, they can infest your restaurant in a matter of weeks. The average gestation period for a mouse is between 19-21 days, with the average litter size being anywhere from 3 to 14 mice. Brown rats have roughly the same reproductive cycle, with the gestation period being about 21 days, and the litter being up to 14 rats. Because of their rapid rate of reproduction, you need to conduct weekly inspections to keep on top of the rodent activity. As soon as you see droppings, chewed packages, or live rodents in your restaurant, you need to call an exterminator like Environmental Pest Control immediately.
